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Re:New York inmate's golf drawings lead to exoneration in mu... by scarface74 on Thursday September 20, 2018 @10:19AM (#18032591)
Because it limits the power of the state. The state, in the US, does not have absolute power to convict anyone of anything.

The state has for all intents and purposes unlimited resources to pile on charges, cover up exonerating evidence, they can legally lie to a suspect (“we found a witness you might as well confess”), they can strike jurors who would be more sympathetic to believing that police can be corrupt, etc.

The defense doesn’t have an unlimited budget to hire experts, get evidence independently tested, etc.

If you are poor and/or minority, the state can and will railroad you and the jury that holds your life in thier hands won’t be of your peers. Do you think that a cherry picked jury will really be that concerned if some poor Black kid gets locked up for life?

Re:New York inmate's golf drawings lead to exoneration in mu... by candiodari on Thursday September 20, 2018 @10:33AM (#18032692)
> If you are poor and/or minority, the state can and will railroad you and the jury that holds your life in thier hands won’t be of your peers. Do you think that a cherry picked jury will really be that concerned if some poor Black kid gets locked up for life?

I did say it's an imperfection measure of protection against that. But frankly, the court is just not going to take you seriously unless it's clear that you will appeal any decision you don't agree with it. Sorry but ... that's how the world works. Still, the alternative in force in Europe does not seem better, in fact it seems significantly worse.

If you watch videos of judges in the Netherlands I assure you, first, the prosecutor is essentially the same, and second the judges ... to say that they are arrogant, unsympathetic and frankly assholes is a serious understatement of reality. Prosecutors are rewarded based on convictions, like in the US.

I think this video, even though the source is a bit ... gmrbl (I DO NOT agree with 99% this website posts) ... But this is the reaction of Jaap Smit, judge and vicepresident of the Amsterdam "fast" court, to a camera:

https://youtu.be/grW-nVrAWvM?t=18s

You can tell what sort of person he is, no ?

They apparently filed a complaint ... and surprise nothing happened.